"Walking Dead" Cable Series

[ineffableone]

I liked this episode, but then I tend to like the character building and less exciting episodes just as much as the big action episodes. The character building episodes help give me a reason to cheer or boo for characters when the action starts.

I also liked how this episode sort of dispelled the idea of it being easy out on the road in ZPAW. The time line is not that far into ZPAW (though is suspect many watchers don't realize it has not been that long) and the group is struggling to find food and water. This is a reality a lot of couch preppers don't see enough of. They seem to think there will be an endless supply of food just waiting to be picked up, or shot, or trapped, or foraged. This episode was a good one to hopefully wake some of those folks up to the idea that food and water might be a lot harder to find than they think. Also how when running out of these necessities a group can get demoralized and even just weak and unable to do even simple things. How suddenly fighting zombies is no longer the easy thing it once was.

While not the best episode, I still liked it a lot.

I hope Maggie is now bouncing back and going to be more herself.

Nice to see Carol and Daryl having their little talks again. And good to see Daryl let his grief out. Now maybe he can be his normal bad ass self.

And Aaron, this is going to get interesting. Thankfully the group has had enough messed up encounters with other people they are no longer ignorant of how horrible people can be. They are cautious and careful, lets just hope they keep careful. Though I suspect Michonne is going to be wanting to believe in some good, and find a place to settle down. She seemed to be pushing for that before so I can see them playing that up more with Aaron.

[Towanda]

I also liked how this episode sort of dispelled the idea of it being easy out on the road in ZPAW. The time line is not that far into ZPAW (though is suspect many watchers don't realize it has not been that long) and the group is struggling to find food and water. This is a reality a lot of couch preppers don't see enough of. They seem to think there will be an endless supply of food just waiting to be picked up, or shot, or trapped, or foraged. This episode was a good one to hopefully wake some of those folks up to the idea that food and water might be a lot harder to find than they think. Also how when running out of these necessities a group can get demoralized and even just weak and unable to do even simple things. How suddenly fighting zombies is no longer the easy thing it once was.

According to the show's official timeline, it's been about a year and a half since the outbreak. Shouldn't we be starting to see diseases like dysentery and cholera? Are there any Anopheles mosquitoes in Georgia? Shouldn't there be more rabid dogs and cats since there are no more vet clinics where they can get rabies shots and be spayed or neutered?

[Mikeyboy]

At this point in the storyline, bicycles would make much more sense, but probably not be as dramatic...

I remember when the show Jericho (post-Nuclear war) show was out someone mentioned that on the forums, and my response would be the same as it is for the Walking Dead. There is something silly and corny about Bicycles in American psyche that does not translate well into action TV.

Motorcycle cop vs Bicycle cop. Have a tattooed bad ass looking guy ride up next to your car on a Harley and you may get a twinge of fear or of admiration, but put that same guy on a Huffy 10 speed, and he looks like a dork.

If everyone on the Walking Dead was riding bicycles I would not be able to get that "Dent de dent de da da" song from the Wizard of Oz out of my head. It make sense in real life, but will not sell in the movies or TV.

This episode was a set up I hope for something more exciting in the near future, but the Barn standoff and Zombie Hurricane was kind of blah. Also they were only 6 miles from Washington DC? Nothing 6 miles out of DC looks that rural. They are basically inside the beltway at that point.

I am assuming this new guy is from Alexandria VA, which was brought up in the comic books. I am thinking after Woodbury and Terminus team Rick will give him a rough time.

[raistlin]

At this point in the storyline, bicycles would make much more sense, but probably not be as dramatic...

I remember when the show Jericho (post-Nuclear war) show was out someone mentioned that on the forums, and my response would be the same as it is for the Walking Dead. There is something silly and corny about Bicycles in American psyche that does not translate well into action TV.

Motorcycle cop vs Bicycle cop. Have a tattooed bad ass looking guy ride up next to your car on a Harley and you may get a twinge of fear or of admiration, but put that same guy on a Huffy 10 speed, and he looks like a dork.

If everyone on the Walking Dead was riding bicycles I would not be able to get that "Dent de dent de da da" song from the Wizard of Oz out of my head. It make sense in real life, but will not sell in the movies or TV.

It has been done before. Nick and Tom in The Stand. But you are right. Not great for setting the right tone for post-apocalyptic narrative.

[RickOShea]

Also they were only 6 miles from Washington DC? Nothing 6 miles out of DC looks that rural. They are basically inside the beltway at that point.

No. Sasha said "60 miles".....not six.

[Towanda]

Motorized vehicles vs. bicycles depends on whether you want a Mad Max-style Apocalypse or a Stephen King-style one. Or you could split it down the middle and make everyone have to stop every so often to brew up more biodiesel or moonshine to put in their tanks.

[Stab74]

The trailers for the next episode make it seem like this new group of people is going to be just as bad as every other group they've encountered. Man these guys can't catch a break!

[majorhavoc]

Well, I liked this episode much more than last week's. I agree with Ineffableone that this installment very effectively established the idea that trying to survive for an extended period is really, really tough. And at some point, the emotional burdens start to compete with, and sometimes overtake, the physical hardships.

This is a well recognized dimension to understanding why some people survive disasters and others do not. A lot of people who perish in situations like shipwrecks could have gone on, it's just that they stopped seeing the point of it. The value proposition wasn't there for them, so they just stop trying.

FYI: I've decided I know what is the single most unrealistic aspect of this entire show: Baby Judith. No way any infant would be so cooperatively quiet all the time.

[benja455]

Also they were only 6 miles from Washington DC? Nothing 6 miles out of DC looks that rural. They are basically inside the beltway at that point.

No. Sasha said "60 miles".....not six.

Correct.

[Stab74]

TWD subreddit cracks me up sometimes.

[SeerSavant]

Reddit... Serious fun times.... at times....


Just some fun from Sunday's ep....

[Paladin1]

At this point in the storyline, bicycles would make much more sense, but probably not be as dramatic...

guy on a Huffy 10 speed, and he looks like a dork.

That's because only a dork would ride a Huffy 10 speed.

Anyway, I think you can develop characters by the way they react to things and having conversations along the way. I don't expect a constant run and gun, that would get monotonous too.

But they are stretching it out. Sasha's pissed and Maggies' sad- I get it. Don't have to drag it out.

And some scenes from last weeks show and this week are just odd.

They are in a barn during a storm and a massive heard of walkers finds them? Then while they are holding the door shut against them a tornado comes through and takes out all the walkers at the door. But the barn is completely undamaged and so they all take a nap?

WTF?

[SeerSavant]

And some scenes from last weeks show and this week are just odd.

They are in a barn during a storm and a massive heard of walkers finds them? Then while they are holding the door shut against them a tornado comes through and takes out all the walkers at the door. But the barn is completely undamaged and so they all take a nap?

WTF?

The last two episodes seemed to be a kind of change in narrative, from Tyreese's death to the last episode, It seems to feel almost dreamlike...

The constant thirst, the way the walkers seem to be following them, but slowly, as if matching them, stalking them, or... herding them?

The way that everyone seems to just exist without much value to the effort, and the storm/zombie wasteland the next morning...


I felt like I should have been finding parallels to Conrad's Heart of Darkness or something Bergman could have filmed...

There was a dreamlike quality that I kind of like, a sort of disconnect with the "reality" that they've been dealing with.

This feels very apocalyptic, but in a dreamlike quality at points...

I like it, and at the end, the clean guy showing up was like a splash of ice water on someone still not quite awake yet.

[Boondock]

I actually enjoyed this episode. I like it when they show the survivors scrounging for food and water, bored and stressed, you know, actual survival stuff.

[CarolinaPeach]

Chiming in to say that I agree this last episode had a surreal, dreamlike feel to it. There were a couple of times when someone would say, "It's alright now", and I would think that uh oh, someone else is dead.

It also had a disjointed, choppy feeling to it, which is probably how the characters themselves feel right now. Exhausted, physically and emotionally, no water, no food, trying to keep one foot moving in front of the other, and when the opportunity presents itself, they take turns trying to encourage one another while they're still dealing with their own grief. Someone's dragging one moment, about to give up, and then they notice another person doing the same thing so they give the 'buck up' comment. That seemed normal to me.

But it wouldn't be a show if there weren't some dangerous threats looming ahead.

Peach

[Mikeyboy]

Also they were only 6 miles from Washington DC? Nothing 6 miles out of DC looks that rural. They are basically inside the beltway at that point.

No. Sasha said "60 miles".....not six.

I guess you are right. Not to be a realist/smart ass, but according to Michonne they were only 100 miles away when they were at Noah old house and Tyreese got bit. You mean to tell me they only made it 40 miles with two vehicles. That is some poor planning, but I guess that makes it more exciting then driving and just taking a pitstop and running to a storm and zombies.

On a side note anyone find it odd that just off the road there was a dried up stream with tons of dead frogs still laying around, and then there was a conveniently placed stash for bottled water from "A Friend". I wonder if it was truly a drought or that the stream was dammed to make passing travelers situation a bit more desperate.

At this point in the storyline, bicycles would make much more sense, but probably not be as dramatic...

guy on a Huffy 10 speed, and he looks like a dork.

That's because only a dork would ride a Huffy 10 speed.

Anyway, I think you can develop characters by the way they react to things and having conversations along the way. I don't expect a constant run and gun, that would get monotonous too.

But they are stretching it out. Sasha's pissed and Maggies' sad- I get it. Don't have to drag it out.

And some scenes from last weeks show and this week are just odd.

They are in a barn during a storm and a massive heard of walkers finds them? Then while they are holding the door shut against them a tornado comes through and takes out all the walkers at the door. But the barn is completely undamaged and so they all take a nap?

WTF?

Yeah I kind of agree, it seems the last two episodes have a different feel (different director?) and they are a little less realistic. I know, I know its a zombie show, but the beginning of this season from Terminus, to Bob getting his foot eaten, to the Church showdown was really some top notch stuff. The 2nd half start of this season just seems a bit more lame, not the Farm lame, but I am getting a bit worried.

I agree there was also a bit of biblical style protection with the Barn scene. For crying out loud there was massive trees up rooted, and zombies impaled on branches 30 feet high, but everyone in that old barn was safe and cozy.

[NamelessStain]

Also they were only 6 miles from Washington DC? Nothing 6 miles out of DC looks that rural. They are basically inside the beltway at that point.

No. Sasha said "60 miles".....not six.

I guess you are right. Not to be a realist/smart ass, but according to Michonne they were only 100 miles away when they were at Noah old house and Tyreese got bit. You mean to tell me they only made it 40 miles with two vehicles. That is some poor planning, but I guess that makes it more exciting then driving and just taking a pitstop and running to a storm and zombies.

On a side note anyone find it odd that just off the road there was a dried up stream with tons of dead frogs still laying around, and then there was a conveniently placed stash for bottled water from "A Friend". I wonder if it was truly a drought or that the stream was dammed to make passing travelers situation a bit more desperate.

I'm amazed that they had garbage bags full of stuff from Noah's area, then 40 miles later they are so weak.

[RickOShea]

I'm amazed that they had garbage bags full of stuff from Noah's area, then 40 miles later they are so weak.

Those garbage bags full of fresh clothes may have helped morale a little bit......but it doesn't really matter since they had to drop them and leave them behind, so they could carry Ty back to the Suburban.

[majorhavoc]

And some scenes from last weeks show and this week are just odd.

They are in a barn during a storm and a massive heard of walkers finds them? Then while they are holding the door shut against them a tornado comes through and takes out all the walkers at the door. But the barn is completely undamaged and so they all take a nap?

WTF?

I took that whole sequence to be largely symbolic. I mean it came right after the big reveal about how the story's title refers to the survivors, not the walkers.

So that scene at the barn door seemed intended to show the whole group of survivors teaming up to hold back the storm, both literal and figurative. That in spite of many openly questioning the whole point of continuing, they each made a choice that night to continue the struggle together.

I think this show aspires to present lofty themes, but often falls short of pulling it off. Last week's episode being a prime example, in my mind.

[Mikeyboy]

On a side note, anyone notice the super badass and manly water bottle Daryl was carrying around this episode. Looks like something a soccer mom would use at the gym. Girly water bottle and crying alone in the woods....are they trying to soften Daryl's character ?

[Towanda]

On a side note, anyone notice the super badass and manly water bottle Daryl was carrying around this episode. Looks like something a soccer mom would use at the gym. Girly water bottle and crying alone in the woods....are they trying to soften Daryl's character ?

First of all, in the ZPAW, you use what you can find. I'm sure if Daryl found a NIB Canteen Shop canteen, cup, and stove, he'd use that. In the meantime, he has sense enough to carry whatever water bottle is available, even if it has Hello Kitty all over it. Second...Beth meant a lot to him. Daryl is one of the main pillars of the group, and he obviously came from an environment where showing any emotion at all was a sign of weakness. Of course he went off in private to mourn Beth. He feels like if he shows any emotion to the rest of the group now, they'll see it as him losing his grip.

[RickOShea]

[shooterm]

I can't stand this show yet keep watching. The story is weak. I hate every character they try to develop. To be honest I get a Lost vibe from it. Which is really strange considering I'm the guy that likes everything zombie and appreciate the B stuff. My brother who grew up with Dad and me watching classics feels the same. Somehow I feel like I just had to come out of the closet here.

[SeerSavant]

HAHAHAHAAAA.... How did I miss that?

I can't stand this show yet keep watching. The story is weak. I hate every character they try to develop. To be honest I get a Lost vibe from it. Which is really strange considering I'm the guy that likes everything zombie and appreciate the B stuff. My brother who grew up with Dad and me watching classics feels the same. Somehow I feel like I just had to come out of the closet here.

Call it a guilty pleasure, make a drinking game out of it, or simply claim it's a time waster... It's okay... it's just a show...



My closet confession... I'm was actually more excited about the premiere of Vikings season 3 than the Walking Dead mid season premiere (ducks and scurries off)


C'mon... I'm not saying I don't like WD, I just binge watched Season's 1 and 2 of Vikings and I'm really hyped for season 3....